High school football players are often able to get by on sheer athleticism more than hard work. The simple fact is that some players are much more talented than the other guys on the field, and the elite prospects can usually dominate their opponents based on the size of the talent gap.

But that gap usually evens out in college, when just about every player is blessed with an enormous amount of raw talent. More often than not, it's hard work that determines which players ultimately earn early playing time, and while some prospects wait until they are on their respective college campus before kicking it into high gear, others try to get a jump on the competition.

Texas Longhorn 2007 signee Russell Carter certainly falls into the latter of the two categories, with the Houston Westbusy having been busy over the past few months preparing for his late May arrival to the Forty Acres.